The current defense by state senator Scott Newman for his office's email to the MNA refusing a meeting is that the demands of lobbyists for his time leave no time for his constituents. This defense is getting repeated by conservative comment trolls, and rocking chair media like the Star Tribune appear to be quite satisfied with that answer.
Check out, for instance, the state senator's spin in the Strib: Newman: "Just an error, that's all":
“I’ve tried to limit the lobbyists that are coming in to see me involving committees I’m on and issues that are important to me,” he said. “I literally feel besieged” by lobbyists.“I don’t have time to talk to constituents. I don’t have time to get any work done,” said Newman.
As Bluestem noted in an update to an earlier post--a fact which bears repeating since the truth leaves a hole in Newman's excuse I could throw a cat through--the Minnesota Nurses Association was seeking to arrange a meeting with the Hutchinson Republican with MNA members who live in his district.
Constituents.
The request was part of planning for the March 1 "Nurses Day on the Hill." Such events are fairly common--and help ordinary citizens meet with legislators.
What's more--while Newman and his supporters are playing the victimization-by-lobbyist card in the metro area papers and comment sections--his story is somewhat different in a local paper. In Nurses group’s snub was unintentional, Newman says, Hutchinson Leader staff writer Jorge Sosa reports:
. . .Gavin said she was trying to schedule a time for Newman to meet nurses from District 18 during the Minnesota Nurses Association’s annual “Nurses Day on the Hill.” Gavin, who has worked for the association for four years, said she has been turned down by other legislators before due to schedule conflicts, “But I’ve never gotten a response like that.”
Newman now says in the local paper that he will meet with the MNA lobbyists because their work is important to the policy area of his committie assignment, but doesn't acknowledge that the MNA was contacting him in order to set up meetings with constituents:
Newman plans to meet with only lobbyists that are working on issues he’s involved in or committees he’s serving on. “I’m not picking on people that didn’t endorse me,” he said.
He added there are hundreds of lobbyists at the Capitol seeking to speak with legislators and he is trying to limit the number he’ll speak to. “Honestly, it’s becoming a problem … I think it’s more important to talk to constituents and get some work done then to talk to lobbyists,” he said.
Newman said he’d be willing to meet with the nurses association, because he’s on the Senate Health and Human Services committee and he assumed the association would want to speak with him about those topics.
I have posted a copy of the letter [ PDF: Nurses day on hill save the date legislators 121710] the MNA sent to all legislators back in December explaining the "Nurses Day on the Hill" visits.
I'm wondering if Scott Newman suddenly discovered all the teachers, Litchfield police officers, and cheesemakers at the giant First District Co-operative who are union members. And what of the Democrats, whose party endorsed Kimball?
The exposure of this incident should lighten his legislative assistant's workload, now that she doesn't have to look up the political affiliations of her boss's constituents.
In other venues, Brian Lambert's afternoon Daily Glean providess an excellent wrap-up of leftie blogosphere reaction in 'Pay-to-play' state senator taking heat over staff email.
Image: No snub intended for the folks in the scrubs, Newman says now.
Wow. Guy really is Toolio.
Posted by: Phoenix Woman | Jan 26, 2011 at 05:36 AM